VDOT LAUNCHES SAFETY SERVICE PATROL FOR PORTIONS OF I-81, I-77, I-66 AND I-64

STAUNTON – The Virginia Department of Transportation is working to reduce roadside surprises and delays for motorists with its launch of safety service patrols on several portions of interstate highways in western Virginia. The patrols will operate in portions of the VDOT Staunton, Culpeper, Salem and Bristol districts.

The primary focus of the Safety Service Patrol is incident management and emergency response. This includes detecting incidents and disruptions in traffic, minimizing incident duration, clearing obstruction and debris from the roadway, establishing temporary traffic control for emergency responders and providing scene assistance as needed.

The white Safety Service Patrol trucks are equipped with arrow boards to help direct traffic around the road incident or hazard.

VDOT’s Northwest Regional Operations located in the Staunton Traffic Operations Center will oversee the service in the Staunton and Culpeper districts. Operations will begin on or before Memorial Day for portions of Interstate 64, I-66 and I-81 in Albemarle, Augusta, Shenandoah, Frederick, Warren, and Rockingham counties.

VDOT’s Southwestern Regional Operations Center will oversee the service in the Salem and Bristol Districts, including Washington, Wythe, Carroll, Montgomery, Roanoke and Botetourt counties. Limited service will begin in support of Memorial Day travel for portions of I-81 in Botetourt, Roanoke, Montgomery and Washington counties, I-581/Route 220 Expressway in Roanoke, the I-81/I-77 overlap around Wytheville and a portion of I-77 in Carroll County.

Staunton/Culpeper Districts
On I-64, the Safety Service Patrol will cover mile marker 87 at the I-81 interchange in Augusta County to mile marker 124 at Route 250 in Charlottesville in Albemarle County. From mile marker 87 to mile marker 107 (Afton Mountain area) the hours of operation will be seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. From mile marker 107 to mile marker 124 (Charlottesville Area Albemarle County) the hours of operation will be Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Initial hours are subject to change based upon operational demands).

On I-81, the Safety Service Patrol will cover mile markers 235 at Route 256 in Augusta County to mile marker 264 at Route 211 near Rockingham/Shenandoah County line. Hours of operation will be seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Initial hours are subject to change based upon operational demands).

Additionally on I-81, the service will cover mile markers 298 at Route 11 in Strasburg in Shenandoah County to mile marker 323 at Route 669 in Frederick County near the West Virginia state line, which includes a segment of I-66, mile marker 0 at the I-81 interchange in Warren County to mile marker 13 at the Linden interchange near Warren/Fauquier County Line. Hours of operation will be 7 seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Initial hours are subject to change based upon operational demands).

Salem/Bristol Districts
On I-81, the service will operate between exit 150 (Troutville) and exit 109 (Radford) seven days a week, and from the Tennessee state line to exit 19 (Abingdon), Tuesday through Saturday. Hours of operation will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

On I-581/Route 220 Expressway, service will cover from I-81 to the Franklin Road exit. Hours of operation will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

On the I-81/I-77 overlap, service will cover between exit 70 (Wytheville) and exit 86 (Service Road). Hours of operation will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

On I-77, service will cover from the North Carolina state line to exit 14 (Hillsville). Hours of operation will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

The patrols can also be deployed to other areas within the region for emergency situations, inclement weather or special events.

VDOT added the service under an existing Traffic Operations Center contract with URS Corp. from Salem for $1.4 million; Staunton/Culpeper $1.5 million

The VDOT Safety Service Patrol program also exists on portions of interstate roads in Northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads and on I-81 at the Rockbridge County at the truck climbing lane project.

Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511. Traffic alerts and traveler information also are available at 511Virginia.org. For other assistance call the VDOT Customer Service Center, available 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week. Citizens can dial 1-800-FOR-ROAD (1-800-367-7623) from anywhere in the state to report road hazards, ask transportation questions, or get information related to Virginia’s roads.

VDOT can be followed on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and You Tube. RSS feeds are also available for statewide information. The VDOT webpage is located at www.VirginiaDOT.org.

Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.

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